A Deadly Misunderstanding

A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide

About the Book

Former Congressman and Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Mark D. Siljander takes us on an eye-opening journey of personal, religious, and political discovery. In the 1980s, Siljander was a newly minted Reagan Republican from Michigan who joined Congress in the same generation as Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay, ready to remake the world. A staunch member of the Religious Right, he once walked out of the National Prayer Breakfast when a speaker quoted from the Qur'an.

But after losing reelection, Siljander dove into the Bible to look for the passage in which the Bible says it is our job as Christians to convert others in order to save them from eternal damnation. He couldn't find it; in fact, he couldn't even find a passage saying that Jesus set out to form a new religion. This discovery was the first step on a spiritual and political journey that started with an in-depth linguistic study of the Bible and led to the discovery that Christianity and Islam share many base words and concepts. In his role as ambassador to the United Nations Siljander began sharing his insights on the connections between Islam and Christianity, with surprising results.

A Deadly Misunderstanding recounts Siljander's amazing discoveries as he travels to some of the most remote and hostile places in the world—deep into Libya, Sudan, Pakistan, and India—forging deep ties with both heads of state and religious leaders. What he has learned could radically shift the contemporary religious landscape and help heal the rift between Islam and the West. No Christian or Muslim will be unaffected after reading this book.

Educator and Librarian Resources

Critical Praise

Resolving existing hostilities between Muslims and Christians will require that we deal with the ideas behind the guns. This book does a masterful job of pointing the way. —Dr. Douglas M. Johnston, President and Founder International Center for Religion & Diplomacy

A Deadly Misunderstanding is a must-read for all seeking to know the heart of God. Mark not only provides thoughtful solutions for the monumental, geopolitical challenges of our time, but also provides nourishment for the soul —Todd Hendricks, TH Properties

I am so impressed with this extraordinary and revolutionary book.......I truly learned a lot from [Siljander] and keep learning....his approach can truly change an enemy to be a friend.While reading his book I could not stop my tears on many occasions... —Dr. Tawfik Hamid, Islamic scholar, former member of Jamma'a Islameia, a terror organization & author of Inside Jihad

An astonishing piece of work. . . In a quietly passionate voice that speaks to our hearts, Siljander shows us how we can go from diversity to unity and from conflict to peace. —Ayatollah Ahmad Iravani, Ph.D., Director for Islamic Studies and Dialogue at the Center for the Study of Culture and Values, Catholic University, Washington, DC

Christians who read A Deadly Misunderstanding will gain insight not only into Islam but into the way of Jesus as well. They’ll also find themselves unable to put the book down: it’s a real page-turner, and its message is revolutionary. —Rev. Brian McLaren, author of Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope and one of Time magazine's "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America"

A thought provoking revelation and awakening that all should read and heed. Unless solutions are forthcoming soon, the world can expect an apocalyptic event affecting billions of people. —Gen. Teddy Allen, U.S. Army Lieutenant General (ret) and fm Director of the Defense Security Assistance Agency.

Mark Siljander has highlighted one of the most exciting areas of contemporary research in Jewish/Christian/Muslim relations: the healing of memories through the historical recall of shared origins in the scriptural languages of all those whom God’s word addressed when the Qur’an came down to Muhammad —Fr. Sidney H. Griffith, eminent professor of Aramaic/Syriac at The Catholic University of America, Washington and author of The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque

This is a superb work of passion, reason and devotion, one that could have great impact in building bridges between societies, nations and faiths that seem to be getting ever more hardened towards each other. —Dr. Mohammed Karim, Islamic scholar & Vice President for Research, Old Dominion University.

Mark’s knowledge and understanding of the Aramaic language of the Scriptures has given him a wide acceptance among Muslim religious and political leaders. I believe this book will be a breakthrough to overcoming the Muslim/Christian divide. —Rev. John Booko, lecturer on Assyria and author of Assyria - The Forgotten Nation In Prophecy and The Assyrian Revelation

Each page of “A Deadly Misunderstanding” is a testimony of [Siljander]’s willingness to study, struggle and pay the price necessary to see Jesus’ Way of reconciliation and transformation restored to the Church and society. —Gary P. Bergel, President, Intercessors for America / Heritage Harvest International

An understanding of the principles in this important book could help heal the rift between Islam and the West. Recommended for all libraries —Library Journal

No Christian or Muslim will be unaffected after reading this book. Siljander’s paradigm-shifting discoveries could radically shift the contemporary religious landscape and help heal the rift between Islam and the West. —Christianbook.com

Rumors indicate that the Siljander book … has angered … the influential “war lobby” depending on decades of religious conflict. —Verterans Today

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